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Alongside OS betas, Apple is launching Xcode 8 today which is in all-in one development suite for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and TV. The new IDE features extensions to customize the coding experience as well as runtime alerts, new Memory Debugger and accelerated Interface Builder. Developers can download the new Xcode from Apple’s developer portal.
Apple announces Swift Playgrounds for iPad allowing iOS users to play with Swift code on their device for the first time. Apple wants to bring many more people into coding; this is their solution. The app incorporates lessons and challenges — it’s very much a teaching tool.
Swift Playgrounds will be available in the App Store this fall; a developer preview is to be released later today. The app is completely free.
Apple will add advanced face and object recognition in iOS 10 Photos, as well as a Map view. Apple will relate together people, locations and other information to bring collections of photos without any user interventions — things like highlight reels, trips and more albums.
As widely rumored, Apple today announced a sweeping upgrade to its voice assistant AI Siri. The new update features rich third-party app integration via a developer API as well as many new features and enhanced understanding, allowing users to interact with Siri in new ways.
Third party app support for Siri includes messaging, ride sharing, photo search, workouts and payments for things like Square Cash and AliPay.
Apple’s brand new operating system for its laptops and desktop computers, macOS, will ship in the fall for all customers. A beta for developers will be released later today. There’s a host of new features, including Auto Unlock, Continuity Clipboard, Apple Pay, Siri for Mac and more. A public beta will be offered in July.
macOS Sierra includes Siri, bringing voice-activated assistant to the Mac for the first time. You can search for files and folders, as well as the typical queries you would expect from Siri.
Whilst multitasking in other applications, you could also use Siri to activate music.
At WWDC, Apple has unveiled the next update to OS X for Macs, branded as macOS Sierra. The update will ship in the fall. macOS Sierra includes Auto Unlock functionality which automatically unlocks your laptops and desktop if in proximity to your iOS devices and Apple Watch. More features after the jump …
The website for the Apple Beta Program has gone down ahead of the WWDC 2016 keynote, due to start at 10 AM PT (in about 40 minutes). With Apple about to unveil iOS 10, macOS 10.12, watchOS 3 and new tvOS, the Beta Program site going down indicates that at least something new will be available for wider release today.
Siri is widely expected to make up a big part of Monday’s WWDC keynote (alongside iOS 10, macOS 10.12 and more) but it seems like it is already inadvertently tipping the hat on what is going to be announce. Brian Roemelle found that by asking the voice assistant about “windows” on his phone, Siri would start referencing the “Finder” app in its responses.
Obviously, iOS doesn’t have a Finder app but OS X does. It seems like Siri is unintentionally leaking the unveiling of Siri for Mac ahead of schedule, or perhaps even a brand new Finder app for iOS 10 …
Update: Apple has nearly finished the large outdoor white logo on Moscone West building and is also hanging ASCII-art theme banners on the opposite street at the Metreon. More photos below.
Apple has started decorating its venues for WWDC 2016, which kicks off on Monday, with workers starting to apply a massive Apple logo onto the side of Moscone West. Apple will use Moscone West for all of the week apart from Monday; the WWDC keynote will be held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.
Apple usually puts up banners teasing the announcements in the theme of the invites to build excitement for the show, often revealing tidbits about the new software OS’s. Apple has put a small logo up at Bill Graham but due to the split venue (and late scheduling), there’s a chance the banners tradition will not continue this year until after the Monday keynote at 10 AM …
At WWDC on Monday, Apple will unveil the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 10. With the conference being light on hardware, expectations are high for Apple to announce some major new features for iOS 10 on iPhone and iPad. The rumor mill is quieter than usual, so there’s definitely a bigger opportunity to be surprised with this year’s keynote.
We have some idea about what to expect but we want to hear what you want to see Apple announce next week. Join in the poll after the jump to have your say on what you want to see in iOS 10 …
Apple has released a special ‘Shot on iPhone’ TV commercial for European markets called ‘The beautiful game’. It features iPhone photography of football stadiums, goalposts and players. The ad will likely air during the UEFA European Football Championship games, which kicks off tomorrow …
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Digital Music News is once again reporting that Apple is contemplating removing iTunes downloads for good, focusing solely on its Apple Music streaming service for distribution. Reading between the lines, it sounds like Apple is open to multiple scenarios depending on future market conditions, which could include ditching traditional music download model. However, it doesn’t sound like there are firm plans to do that anytime soon; Apple has already denied similar reports saying ‘It’s not true’.
More interestingly is the report’s take on Apple’s WWDC plans for iTunes. It claims that Apple will unveil a major overhaul of the iTunes app to simplify the core functions of the app (music) and better present the different music offerings Apple has, removing points of confusion about how Apple Music works alongside the iTunes Store.
In my continuing quest to find a great iPad Pro case, I’ve been testing out the new BookBook case for iPad Pro 12.9-inch ($99) … and I really like it. Don’t judge a book by its cover; the cute design hides a lot of utility. There’s a display mode for watching movies, an integrated kickstand perfect for typing and sketching as well as a fantastic Apple Pencil holder hidden in the ‘spine’. (Check the Twelve South website if sold out on Amazon.)
As the whole thing zips up, it’s one of few cases that completely protects the iPad whilst in transit. Read on for my full review of the BookBook for iPad Pro after the jump …
Apple is today commemorating the life of boxer Muhammad Ali with a fullscreen homepage tribute, who died in hospital on Friday at the age of 74. The quote reads: ‘The man who has no imagination has no wings’. Apple executives Tim Cook and Phil Schiller have also shown their respects on Twitter.
Update 2: Apple is reporting that the iCloud.com services have also been restored.
Update: Apple is reporting that the availability of some services has now been restored but several features of iCloud are still down and undergoing maintenance.
As noted by Apple’s system status page, a multitude of Apple services are currently experiencing instability and downtime for some users. The affected services include the App Store, Mac App Store, Apple TV services, iTunes In The Cloud and critical features like Find My iPhone. We have also had a few reports of Apple Music downtime, seemingly repeating the outage yesterday, but Apple’s official status report does not mention any problems with Apple Music at this time.
Apple has today launched its Back to School deals for students. Similar to last year, Apple will bundle a free pair of Beats headphones with the purchase of an eligible Apple product for college. If you buy an iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac Pro or MacBook Air, you get a free pair of Beats Solo2 wireless headphones worth $299. iPad Pro, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 buyers can get a free pair of Beats Powerbeats2 wireless headphones, worth $199 retail.
Standard Apple student education discount also applies on Mac and iPad purchases. Although this is one of the best times to buy a Mac or iPad direct from Apple Store, you may save money from buying elsewhere …
Cases claiming to be designed for the next-generation iPhones, currently being dubbed the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, have been released online today. Although the cases do not show anything drastically different to what we’ve been hearing for months, with most of the chassis mirroring the appearance of the iPhone 6s, it is interesting nonetheless to see the design formalized into cases that are apparently going to be on sale by the end of the month.
The case renders include a depiction of what the dual camera system on the 5.5 inch iPhone 7 Plus could look like, suggesting that it will have a binocular-esque appearance of two camera iris holes side-by-side with a sizeable gap between them. The camera flash and rear microphone are also aligned horizontally. The iPhone 7 Plus case also includes space for the 3-pin Smart Connector on the back of the device — more pictures after the break …
Update: No new Apple display at WWDC … timing unclear but integrated GPU next-gen Apple Display is still in development.
The current $999 (!) Thunderbolt Display is showing its age to put it mildly, now significantly overshadowed by Retina MacBooks and iMacs in terms of screen resolution and quality. Reaffirming earlier reports, we have heard that stock of the Thunderbolt Display at Apple Stores is quickly running out with no indications of more units on the way to replenish availability. This is often a good indicator that a refresh is imminent. We are led to believe that WWDC will be very light on new hardware. However, given the opportunity for cheers in the audience, perhaps Apple could announce the new display at the keynote with a release pencilled in for later in the year.
Independently, we have heard some rumblings about what the new display might offer. Finally bringing it up to speed with its Retina display Mac cousins, the new ‘Thunderbolt Display’ will likely feature a 5K resolution display 5120×2880 pixels. Moreover, sources indicate that Apple will take the display in a surprising direction, specifically suggesting that Apple plans to integrate a dedicated external GPU into the display itself …
Apple has quietly rolled out a change to the Apple TV App Store on tvOS in the last few days, which affects how apps are listed in the Top Charts. For the Top Charts (Top Paid, Top Free, Top Grossing), the Apple TV App Store will now hide listings for apps that the user has already downloaded, so the charts update dynamically per user. This means users can only browse for apps they don’t already own, removing some clutter and allowing less popular apps more opportunity to be seen. This behavior is novel and isn’t currently replicated by the iPhone and iPad App Stores.
To try this out for yourself, open the Apple TV App Store and download the #1 Top Free app. After force-quitting and re-opening the App Store (by swiping it away in the multitasking tray), the app will disappear from the charts. What was previously listed at #2 will now take the top spot (via Equinux).
An IHS Technology analyst has posted on Chinese social media that company supply chain research indicates that the iPhone 7 will feature 32 GB storage as the $199 base model, which would mean Apple would finally drop the much-loathed 16 GB SKU from its lineup with its new flagship smartphone expected in the fall. IHS has a reasonable track record of accuracy when it comes to Apple rumors, correctly predicting last year that a 4 inch iPhone would debut in 2016 based on supply chain sources … which obviously transpired into reality as the iPhone SE.
The analyst also claims that iPhone 7 will feature 2 GB of RAM, the same specification as iPhone 6s. It is unclear if the analyst is referring to the iPhone 7 as a category or the specific 4.7 inch model. KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reported that the larger 5.5 inch iPhone 7 Plus will be equipped with 3GB RAM to handle the processing needs demanded by the dual-camera components. The big story here though is the claim that we could finally be saying goodbye to 16 GB flagship iPhones later this year …
Following the expanded launch of Apple Pay in Singapore this week, TechCrunch spoke with Apple VP Jennifer Bailey about Apple Pay’s roadmap. The Apple executive said the company wants to bring Apple Pay to every significant market in which it operates with particular focus on rapid expansion in Europe and Asia. Apple Pay is currently available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Singapore and Australia. Apple has already said the mobile payments service will reach Hong Kong soon …
There are a pair of new iPhone 7 schematics circling the Internet today, depicting the 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch SKUs of Apple’s next-generation flagship phone. The 4.7 inch iPhone 7 drawing appears pretty much as expected, resembling the iPhone 6s by and large with repositioned (and larger) rear camera and redesigned antenna lines. Similar three dimensional schematics surfaced two weeks ago.
The measurements listed indicate the 7 will be a tad thicker at 7.2mm excluding the camera bump, compared to 7.1 mm for the iPhone 6s, but a 0.1mm difference is effectively nothing and effectively impossible to notice by humans. (Sadly, these schematics show that the new iPhone 7 camera will indeed protrude from the rest of the casing). The drawings reiterate the point that Apple will remove the headphone jack, re-using the space as a second speaker grille.
The Financial Times is reporting that Apple considered a buyout of Time Warner late last year, with Apple executive Eddy Cue raising the idea at a meeting with Time Warner’s head of corporate strategy, Olaf Olafsson. The idea of bid was very much tentative and did not enter serious negotiations involving Tim Cook, according to the report. However, Apple is still interested in acquiring media company talent and sources indicate the company is ramping spending on original content: “several hundred million dollars a year”.
Apple has long been rumored to want to launch a skinny cable subscription service for internet television, in concert with its Apple TV set top box. At Startup Fest earlier in the week, Tim Cook said he wants Apple to be a catalyst in the entertainment business.